Summary of Grades

Illinois scores above the national average on only one of the graded policy categories in Quality Counts, although its overall performance across the four areas is about average.

Illinois scores above average in standards and accountability. The state fares especially well on standards policies because nearly all of its standards in the core subjects have been rated as clear, specific, and grounded in content by the American Federation of Teachers. The exception is the state’s elementary school social studies standards.

Illinois’ grade in teacher quality is just below average. The state loses points on professional support and training because it lacks written professional-development standards and does not require and finance professional development or mentoring for novice teachers.

In the school climate category, Illinois is at the national average. The state does well on indicators related to parent involvement and is one of only 10 states to include information on parent involvement on school report cards. It loses points on school choice and autonomy indicators because its charter school law is not considered to be strong by the Center for Education Reform.

Illinois falls short in resource equity, scoring in the lower tier of states. Its wealth-neutrality score is among the worst in the nation, indicating that per-pupil funding is considerably higher in its wealthier districts than in its poorer districts.